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Cowell will be joined on the judging panel by Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh, and Dermot O'Leary will host once again.

Former Pussycat Doll Scherzinger said she is delighted with the format changes.

"You have to in this day and age, things are moving so fast over social media, you have to be changing with the times," she said.

"You have to evolve."

The singer said there would still be "colourful characters with some Sch-flare" but that there would be "a real balance this year".

Walsh, who returned to the X Factor in 2016 after a season off the panel, said: "There are some real characters but they have talent, they are very different, but they are people that we're going to remember.

"When I came back to the show this year I wanted it to be a new look X Factor, with a new feel, with people in the show that audiences at home want to see."

Host Dermot O'Leary

Osbourne - who mentored novelty rapper Honey G in the Over 25s category last year - said she will be "tougher" in the new season.

"It's everyone's reputation on the line when you are sat there," she said.

"When you're backing someone, like backing a three-legged horse, it's your reputation up there too at the end of the day.

"I've done my fair share of extreme characters, I just can't do it again."

She said she is also pleased to see the competition draw so many young singer-songwriters.

She said: "These kids are not just singing everyone else's songs, I love that and feel like we've come a long way."

It's Disco Week on the X Factor.

The new series will see hopefuls tackle two audition rounds followed by bootcamp.

One of the try-outs was held at Thorpe Park, where the judges had the chance to go on some of the rides.

The Six Chair Challenge and Judges' Houses stages will also be back, with the audition process culminating in the live shows.

However, spin-off show Xtra Factor is a victim of the shake-up.

Presenter O'Leary said of it ending: "I was sad, but I get it.

"We've made the X Factor for 14 years now but the way people watch the show has changed; now we have massive hits on YouTube compared to how it used to be, so you have to work harder on a show to keep people's attention.

"Similarly, Xtra Factor started in a time when a lot of people watched that kind of show, but things have moved on."